Caring, Compassionate Educators
You know that your calling to teach means more than just getting your diploma. It means valuing each student’s life and helping them fulfill their God-given potential.
It’s the role of Teacher as Servant Leader — and it’s why Belhaven University is the perfect place to earn your degree.
Our curriculum emphasizes academic excellence, professional knowledge, character development, and leadership opportunities. You’ll also gain real-world experience through practica directed observations, practice teaching in elementary schools, and a culminating in a clinical internship.
Elementary Education Major
You've had life-changing experiences in the classroom that challenged you to succeed and inspired your passions. Now it's your turn to share that calling as a K-6 educator, a mentor, and a champion that will have a major impact on students’ lives.
Teachers as Servant Leaders
Additional Undergraduate School of Education Info
Interested in teaching at the middle/high school level? Talk to your advisor about dual enrollment in the Secondary Teacher Certification Program, which leads to a Mississippi Middle and/or High School Teacher License.
If you’re majoring in Dance, Theatre, Music, or Visual Arts, you can earn a K-12 Five Year Renewable Teacher License after you complete your degree.
The Mississippi State Department of Education will issue a license after you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in one of the approved performance or visual arts degree programs and you’ve met the state teacher test requirements.
In addition, you must have a qualifying ACT or Praxis Core Test score and successfully pass the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Test. There is no requirement for School of Education courses or Clinical Intern Student Teaching hours.
Special MDE Performance and Visual Arts Teacher License [PDF]
Public school teaching licenses are issued by the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure, Jackson, Mississippi. Applications for licensure may be secured from the Dean of the School of Education. If you plan to teach in states other than Mississippi, you are responsible for securing all requirements and forms.
Admission to Belhaven University and being a Pre-Education Major in the School of Education DOES NOT automatically admit an individual to the Teacher Educator Preparation Program (TEPP).
View the requirements for admission to the TEPP Teacher Education Preparation Program [PDF]
Please note: As a Pre-Education Candidate in the School of Education, you may only take a limited number of courses before you must apply for admission into the Teacher Educator Preparation Program (TEPP).
Candidates are admitted to the TEPP after:
- Successfully passing the required Mississippi Teacher Educator Entrance Exams;
- Successfully completing the requisite education courses;
- Meeting and successfully interviewing with the School of Education TEPP Candidate Approval Committee; and
- Approval as a Teacher Candidate for the Belhaven Teacher Educator Preparation Program.
If you are not admitted to the TEPP, you can no longer take courses from the School of Education and will be required to change your major.
Belhaven University and the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges (MACC) have signed an agreement that provides Mississippi community college students a seamless pathway to earning their Bachelor of Science in Elementary Teacher Education. The agreement allows students with an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from any MACC institution to transfer directly into Belhaven University, where the AA degree will fulfill the first two years of the University’s Elementary Teacher Education Preparation Program.
"I appreciate how our professors teach from a Christian worldview. Whether weaving Scripture into the course content, asking how they can pray for us, or showing grace in difficult times, my professors here have shown me what it looks like to be a Christian educator."
"I love that I’ve made lifelong friends with the people in my cohort in the School of Education. We've gotten close through classes, working on projects together, and even doing some of our field experiences at the same schools. We’ve all agreed that we will stay friends even after graduation."
"The small class sizes here at Belhaven really let us get more hands-on experience, which makes the teacher prep classes super fun. Having a smaller student-to-teacher ratio also means we get to know each other better and build a real connection with our professors. As teacher candidates, we all feel really supported and cared for by our professors."
"When I think of the Belhaven School of Education, the professors will be the first thing that comes to mind. They are some of the most dedicated people I have ever met, and their care for the teacher candidates shines through everything that they do. I greatly value the education I receive here at the University because I know that I am surrounded by people who are striving to help me become the best person and future teacher I can be."
A Celebrated Haven for Education
Belhaven is accredited by the Southern Commission on Schools and Colleges to award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. Individual programs, including arts, business, education, and nursing, are further recognized by accrediting agencies in their respective areas. These recognitions prove our ongoing commitment to academic excellence and quality standards.
Meet Our Faculty
Associate Professor of Education and Chair of Undergraduate Program
Tammie Brown
Associate Professor of Education and Chair of Undergraduate Program
Assistant Professor of Education
Stacey Donaldson
Assistant Professor of Education
Associate Professor of Graduate Education and Director of ED Doctoral Studies
Tracey Gregory
Associate Professor of Graduate Education and Director of ED Doctoral Studies
Dean of the School of Education
David Hand
Dean of the School of Education
Professor of Education; Director of the Master of Arts in Education Program
Rebekah Mincey
Professor of Education; Director of the Master of Arts in Education Program
Associate Professor of Education/ Chair of Graduate Education
Mariella Simons
Associate Professor of Education/ Chair of Graduate Education
Assistant Professor of Education
Brittany Singleton
Assistant Professor of Education
Assistant Professor of Education and Undergraduate Education Chair
Tammy Smith
Assistant Professor of Education and Undergraduate Education Chair
Dean of Online Studies and Professor of Education
Cynthia Wilkins
Dean of Online Studies and Professor of Education
Assistant Professor; Dean of Doctoral Studies
James Young
Assistant Professor; Dean of Doctoral Studies
Contact Us
Office of Admission
Phone: 601-968-5940Mailing Address:
1500 Peachtree Street, Box 153
Jackson, MS 39202
For campus visit:
Jimmy Hood Welcome Center
855 Riverside Drive
Jackson, MS 39202
Fax: 601-300-2932
Verse of the Year
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100:5